New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone likely won’t sign a contract extension with the club this offseason but could receive an opportunity to right the ship following a disappointing 2023 campaign.
“Firing Boone would be pure scapegoating, and the Yankees do not seem inclined to do it,” MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic explained for a piece published Wednesday. “The front office allowed Boone to hire his friend Sean Casey as hitting coach at the All-Star break. Aaron Judge repeatedly has expressed his support for Boone, as have other players. Most important, general manager Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner seem firmly behind their manager.”
Also on Wednesday, Bob Klapisch of NJ Advance Media reported that a “person familiar” with Steinbrenner “believes there will be ‘massive’ changes in the way the Yankees do business in 2024.” Klapisch noted that it’s “uncertain” if such changes will result in Boone being shown the door, in part because Steinbrenner “would prefer to not fire” the skipper who guided the Yankees to the postseason each year from 2018 through 2022.
Boone has a year left on his contract that includes a club option for 2025. Cashman, meanwhile, signed a four-year deal that runs through the 2026 season last December and reportedly is safe even though the Yankees are missing the playoffs this fall for the first time since 2016.
“Boone’s predecessors, Joe Torre and Joe Girardi, each were allowed to finish out their contracts,” Rosenthal added. “Boone, 50, appears likely to get the same chance.”
Judge became the 16th captain in Yankees history in late 2022 and it was reported this past March that Steinbrenner had consulted with the reigning American League Most Valuable Player “about various team-related issues.” Klapisch passed along on Wednesday that Judge “will have the owner’s ear” this offseason and “could save Boone,” though Rosenthal indicated the manager doesn’t need a knight in shining armor in order to remain with the organization past Sunday’s regular-season finale.
